William f



(No Model.)

Y W.-P. WEBER. FIRE ESCAPE APPARATUS. 'No. 601,029. Patented Mar. 22,1898.

es. Q lhvenzfor WWW %%M%4/ UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

WILLIAM F. WEBER, on NEW YORK, N, Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE APPARATUS.

$PEGIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 601,029, dated March 22, 1898.

, Application filed January 14:, 1897- Serial No. 61 (No model-3 To all whom, it mar concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. WEBER, a,

useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of fireescapes in which the person descendingfrom the elevation is supported by a mechanism that runs upon a suspended rope or cable; and the invention consists in an organization of apparatus, hereinafter set forth in detail, wherein the weightof the person descending throws into operation a brake or retarding device that insures a descent at moderate speed.

I am aware that fire-escapes of the class to which my invention relates have been proposed in which the weight of the person descending automatically applies abrake. My organization, however, diifers from those that v have heretofore been proposed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention in a practical and efficient form, Figure l is a side view with one of the sideplates removed; Fig. 2, a side elevation with the rollers and the course of the rope indicated'by dotted lines; Fig. 3, an end elevation; Fig. 4,'a vertical transverse section Fig. 5, an elevation of the opposite end to that shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 6, a top view,and Fig. 7 a bottom view.

In this particular form in which I have elected to illustrate my invention the mechanism' is composed of two side plates secured parallel to each other, with a suitable space between them, by spacing and securing rivets 1 2. Two rollers or pulleys a b revolve upon shafts mounted in the side plates, the openings or bearings for the shaft D of the roller 1) being; elongated, as shown by the full lines 19, in Fig. 2 and by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, to permit the vertical movement of the roller b. shown arranged in the same vertical plane, and to one side thereof is arranged athird v roller 0, or instead of a roller 0 may be a fixed The projecting ends of the shafts The axes of"these two rolls are preferably of rectangular shape in cross-section at its ends to fit the corresponding recesses in the side plates of the apparatus and between the plates is curved or rounded at one of its lower corners. The yoke g at its lower end may be provided with an eye to receive a split ring 6, to which a harness or strap for supporting the person to descend may be attached. The rope or cable f passes between the cross-bar 72. (against its rounded edge) and the roll I), thence over the roll or cylinder 0, and thence around the roll a one or more times. A brake-block K, attached to a screwrod, is suitably mounted in the part 3 of the frame that is secured by the bolts or rivets 2 2 and is provided with a handle, so that the block K may be forced toward the roller a to grip the rope when desired.

It will be apparent that when the weight of the person to descend is exerted upon the yoke g the cross-bar h is drawn down against the rope f and toward the pulley b. If, therefore, this pulley were stationary, the strain would press the bar h against the rope, causing it to act as a brake. This would permit the mechanism and the suspended person to travel down at a reasonable speed upon the rope, the upper end of which would of course be suitably secured. I prefer,'however, to construct the bearing of the roller 17 as already described, so that it shall have a vertical movement, and thus the pressure of the bar it against the rope f forces it against the pulley b and forces the pulley down upon the rope that is disposed around the roller 01..

This construction in my judgment affords a more certain action and permits a smooth even descent of the person at a moderatelyregulated speed without calling for any action on his part. This Iconsider important, because inthe nervous and excited condition in which most persons would be when escaping from a burning building they cannot be expected to manipulate by hand a brake device that will regulate their descent, and consequently there would, in the absence of such provision as I have made, be danger of fatal accident. If the person to descend with my improved device, however, wishes at any time to totally arrest his descent, he may do so by the manipulation of the brake-block K.

I have shown the invention embodied in an organization the practical usefulness and utility of which I have demonstrated; but it is apparent that the details of construction may be varied without departing from the principles of my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a fire-escape, the combination substantially as set forth, of the frame of the mechanism, rollers mounted therein over or around which the suspended rope or cable passes, the upper one of said rollers being mounted to move vertically in its bearings, a verticallyslidable bail or yoke by which the person to descend is supported, and the cross-bar connecting its upper ends and ar ranged above the vertically-movable roller, whereby the strain of the weight of the person is exerted to press the vertically-movable roller toward a stationary roller to grip the rope between them and thereby to control the descent of the person.

2. I11 a fire'escape, the combination of the side plates, their connecting belts or rivets, the roller a turning upon the shaft Whose ends project beyond the side plates, the roller 1) turning upon a shaft whose ends project beyond the side plates and vertically movable in elongated bearings therein, the bail or yoke to support the person to descend and whose branches pass through apertures in the ends of said shafts, and a cross-bar connecting the upper ends of the branches of the yoke, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 12th day of January, A. D. 1897.

XVILLIAM F. \VEBER.

\Yitnesses:

A. WEHMEYER, U. R. Esnonx. 

